


I Don't Like Sleep

by adventarson



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, donghyuck may or may not be a demon, kinda open ending i guess, lisgiddit, mark just wants to sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 11:29:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18850180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adventarson/pseuds/adventarson
Summary: Mark is convinced his new roommate doesn't sleep.





	I Don't Like Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Donghyuck said four (4) words in an interview and I had a Vision
> 
> It's really short and I'm not that happy with it but whatever, it's finished, so. Enjoy, I guess? Or don't

Mark is convinced his new roommate doesn’t sleep.

When he applied for student housing at the end of last year, he’d prayed to end up with someone normal. He’d spent the past year rooming with somebody named Lucas or Yukhei or Xuxi, he wasn’t even sure about that, who’d picked his nose and done pull-ups off the doorframe, and all he wanted was some goddamn peace. He’d even put it on his application, in the Special Requirements section (which was technically for, like, cat allergies, but whatever): _please for the love of god give me someone normal_.

His RA evidently had no sympathy, because now, five weeks into term, Mark still hasn’t seen his roommate sleep. It’s not that he hasn’t _seen_ his roommate – he’s actually hung out with Donghyuck quite a bit over the past few weeks, eating lunch sometimes and studying together at the library – he’s just never… seen him sleep. Which sounds weird when Mark says it, but at this point he’s halfway convinced Donghyuck is a vampire or an incubus or something, and he’s already sent his RA three emails begging for mercy.

When Mark goes to bed, Donghyuck is either at the library or out with some friends, or he’s studying at the little desk in their tiny dorm room, or he’s playing a game on his phone. And when Mark wakes up, Donghyuck is either studying at their desk or gone.

Now, case in point, Donghyuck is sitting at their desk, spinning around in the chair as he jabs at his phone.

“I’m going to sleep now,” Mark tries. Donghyuck doesn’t look up.

“Goodnight,” he says, jabbing his thumb at something on the screen and kicking the edge of the desk to spin a little faster. Mark doesn’t know if he should be impressed or worried at how long he’s been spinning. Mark warily crawls under his covers, eyes still on Donghyuck. He probably is a vampire, honestly. Come to think of it, Mark doesn’t think he’s ever seen him eat a single vegetable. Mark rolls over to tuck his face into the wall, and decides to hunt down his RA in the morning.

 

When Mark wakes up, Donghyuck is at the desk again. Or still, Mark’s not sure. Either way, Donghyuck is sitting at their desk, squinting at a worksheet. Mark closes his eyes and turns over again. He’d had such a good dream: he’d been rooming in one of those single rooms Yoonoh is in, and he’d woken up completely alone without anybody spinning in his desk chair.

“Do you know anything about calculating combustion enthalpies?” Donghyuck asks, and Mark presses his face into his pillow.

“I’m asleep,” he tries.

“No you’re not.” Donghyuck kicks him, and he rolls over with a groan. “So, do you?” Mark stares at the ceiling and takes a deep breath.

“Yeah,” he sighs. “Yeah, I took A-level chem in high school.” He stares at the ceiling until Donghyuck kicks him again.

“Help me with it, then,” he says. “We can get pancakes.” Mark sighs and sits up. Pancakes are always worth it.

 

Maybe Donghyuck is a demon, Mark muses. It fits better. Vampires only drink blood, and they’re said to have ashy or grey skin. There’s nothing ashy or grey about Donghyuck’s tan golden skin, and Mark saw Donghyuck inhale two servings of lasagna as late as yesterday. But demon could fit. He seems to live off inconveniencing and teasing Mark, he never seems to sleep, and he’s apparently got their RA wrapped around his little finger.

 _It’s too late for a room change, Mark_ , Taeil had said when Mark had barged into his study room at the library to beg him for a new roommate last week. _And Donghyuck is an angel, I don’t understand what your problem with him is_. Mark hadn’t even tried to explain, just muttered something about probably having gotten off on the wrong foot and escaped.

Anyway, Donghyuck must be a demon, because it’s three a.m. and he’s still swearing at some worksheet. Mark is turned against the wall, pillow over his head, but every time he thinks he’s slipping off Donghyuck either clicks his pencil, aggressively erases something or lets out an impressive string of profanities, and he’s back to square one. He’s been on his feet since five that morning (Donghyuck had, somehow, already been gone by then), and he has a test tomorrow, and the cafeteria dinner had given him a stomachache, and he just wants to _sleep_. Donghyuck lets out a harsh breath and kicks at his covers, and Mark kind of wants to cry.

“Go to _sleep_ ,” he whines, sitting up to blink blearily at Donghyuck across the room. He’s too tired to care that he sounds like a five-year-old. Donghyuck looks up.

“I have a worksheet,” Donghyuck says, and waves his notebook a little. Mark lets his eyes fall shut and frowns. His brain doesn’t want to process the word worksheet. It doesn’t seem important in the warmth and comfortable dimness of their dorm room.

“I have a test tomorrow morning,” Mark says, and opens his eyes to see Donghyuck wince.

“I could go to the library,” Donghyuck says half-heartedly, but he doesn’t move. Mark closes his eyes again for a second, then pushes himself off his bed and takes the three steps from his own bed to Donghyuck’s. He just wants to sleep, goddamnit, and his demon of a roommate isn’t helping. He plants a knee on Donghyuck’s bed.

“Or you could just, like, go to sleep,” Mark says, and doesn’t bother to catch Donghyuck’s expression as he takes his notebook from him and reaches out to turn off the desk lamp. The room falls dark, and Mark lets out a breath. The three steps back to his own bed seem like miles, and Donghyuck’s bed is so _warm_ and Mark is so _tired_. He doesn’t think about it, just climbs over Donghyuck to settle under his covers with his face tucked against the wall. Donghyuck promptly climbs off the bed, and Mark’s heart stops. He’s actually halfway awake now, and _goddamnit Mark you’ve made him uncomfortable he’ll file a restraining order in the morning_ , but Donghyuck just shucks off his jeans and crawls back under the covers. It’s a small single bed, not exactly made for two grown college boys, but Donghyuck shuffles around until they fit, ending up curled around Mark with his chest against Mark’s back. Donghyuck is so warm, and his shirt is so soft, and Mark is so, so tired.

 

Mark is woken up around seven by Donghyuck stubbing his toe on their desk. He lets out an impressive string of curses, and Mark slowly rolls over to look at him.

“Good morning,” Mark rasps, and Donghyuck freezes. He looks like he’s slept, hair messy and a faint pillow crease across his cheek. Mark blinks a couple times.

“Sleep well?” Donghyuck asks, and Mark reddens. Why, oh, why, hadn’t he pestered Taeil more about switching roommates?

“Sure,” he says, squinting as Donghyuck pulls up the blinds. He actually has. He probably slept better than he’d slept since he first started rooming with Donghyuck. Mark chalks it up to not having had to worry about whether or not Donghyuck is actually a vampire. “Did you?”

Donghyuck shrugs. “It was alright.” Then, “You’re really clingy when you sleep.” Mark wants to die. His ears are burning, and he opens his mouth to protest, apologise, he’s not sure, but Donghyuck just grins. “Wanna grab breakfast?”

 

Mark’s not sure when it became a habit. He gets home at a perfectly reasonable hour, gets ready for bed, then goes to bed and falls asleep. Then Donghyuck gets home from the library or wherever at some ungodly hour in the middle of the night, still looking unfairly glowing and bright, and wakes Mark up, either by accident or because he loves to watch Mark suffer, and Mark grumbles and tells him to go to sleep. Somehow, it always ends with Mark in Donghyuck’s bed, either tucked under Donghyuck’s chin or with Donghyuck curled around his back, and they sleep like that until Mark wakes up to the sound of Donghyuck leaving.

Tonight is no different. It’s two a.m., and all Mark wants to do is go back to sleep. He’d been sleeping so well, until Donghyuck barged in singing that one Twice song that he knows gets on Mark’s nerves, and now Donghyuck is sitting on his own bed, tapping at his phone.

“Donghyuck, come on.” Mark knows he sounds exasperated, but he’s so _tired_.

“You don’t have to be awake just because I am,” Donghyuck says, as always, and Mark knows he’s already lost.

“Why don’t you sleep?” Mark asks instead, and Donghyuck looks up.

“I don’t like sleep.” He shrugs. “It’s a waste of time.” He goes back to tapping on his phone, and Mark has a brief struggle with himself before slipping off his bed. He’s only fighting himself on principle, really. He’s not sure he’s ready to admit to himself how much he actually likes sleeping with Donghyuck. He plants a knee on Donghyuck’s bed and pulls his phone from him, reaches out to turn off the light and crawls across him to his side of the bed. The side of the bed he usually sleeps on. Whatever. Donghyuck stays sitting against the headboard for a few moments before scooting down to put his head on the pillow. Mark keeps himself still for about three seconds before crawling up to tuck his head under Donghyuck’s chin.

“You absolute pest,” Donghyuck says, but the words have no bite to them as he runs a hand through Mark’s hair. They shift around a little, Donghyuck curling an arm around Mark’s back and Mark throwing an arm across Donghyuck’s chest. Donghyuck runs a light hand across Mark’s back, and Mark hums.

“Is this really such a waste of time?” Mark whispers.

“Well, I could be studying for my maths finals, or catching up on that new drama,” Donghyuck says, but he doesn’t move from where he’s curled around Mark. The room fades into silence, and Mark hears Donghyuck’s breathing gradually slow and even. “But whatever, maybe this isn’t such a waste of time.”

Mark smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Senior year is kicking my ass, but I'll hopefully have more time to write once I graduate in a couple weeks :')


End file.
